Running board anchor for railway cars



July 14, 1931. J. MCMULLEN 1,814,519

RUNNING BOARD`ANCHOR FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Sept. 11; 1930 ATTORNY the line 3, 3, of Figure 1.

Patented July 14, 1931 g UNHTED STATES JOI-IN MCMULLEN,'OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK `RUNNING eolien-ANCHOR non RAILWAY CARS Application filed September 11, 1930. Serial No. 481,169.` i

My present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in` fastening, securing or anchoring means for the running boards, platforms, or walks on the Ytopl of 5 freight and other railway cars; the object being to provide simple and efficient means for firmly holding these boards or walks on the car roof so thatthey will not easilyloosen, break or wear, and hence will be more dur- 410 able, safer, smoother, and more efficient and economical than present devices whichare nailed or spiked tothe car. yl/Vith these. and other multiplied ends and advantages in View the invention may be said to consist essen- ,.15 tially in thek construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, substantially as will be hereinafter describ-ed and claimed. In the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention: n

Figure 1 is a transverse section of my improved running board anchoring means on the line 1, 1, of Figure 1. l f Figure 2 is a similar section viewed from the other side, on the line 2, 2, of Figure 4f.

rFigure 3 is a horizontal sectional plan on Figure 4 is a top plan View. Figure 5 is a cross section on the line 5, 5, of Figure 1.

Similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the ydifferentfigures of the drawings.r

The top surface of an ordinary railway freight or service car isv ordinarily sloping 35 from the ridge line to the two opposite edges,

' so that it may easily shed water like other roofs. I have indicated the two sloping sides of the roof by A, A. At the high cen-y tral or ridge portion runs a horizontal track ew or board or walk, which is longitudinal Vwith A the train, and is easily traversed by trainmen or brakemen in passing from one part of the `train to another, and'particularly in gaining access to hand brakes and other appliances ,-45 and in directing the train.` Such a walk usually consists of a few straight parallelV strips of wood or slats, usually-three, as B, B, B, `which are` commonly fastened securely upon the central portion lof the car D roof, with spaces between them, the mode of fastening or supporting them consisting in the use of trusses or supportswhich aretrans-v verse or cross wooden girders or bridge pieces that are nailed, bolted or otherwise fastened to the car roof so as to serviceably support the members of the running board, and to which transverse girdersV said members are nailed, screwed, or otherwise attached. VThe present'practice therefore is'to arrange the construction so that the parallel members 60 B 'of the running board may be commonly' nailed, spiked or screwedto these cross pieces. In the severe and constant vibration of the car the nails or fasteners are aptto workloose, and rise above` the surface of the running board so that they become an'obs-tructionrto the feet of the trainmen, also causing the board pieces to break away from their proper position. The rain and weather also rots the wood and rusts and damages the nails so that they are loosened and broken, so that constant supervision and replacement of parts is required, requiringexpensive labor and material.` I aim to overcome these troubles by means of an eliicient permanent clamping substitute for the older and cruder methods.

In lieu of the said transverse wooden supports or girders kI provide transverse vertical steel or metallic plates or bars 2, being really angle pieces, each having bottom horizontal flanges 1, 1, that are permanently secured-by means of bolts 3 or similar fasteners to the car roof A, suitable nuts, washers and heads being arranged with the bolts. Thus each vertical plate 2 will have two of these flanges 1 that are inclined from the middle point of the lower edge of theupright plate 2 towards each,y edge of the roof sections A so as to correspond to .the inclination of said roof, to i which the' flanges lfare firmly fastened as stated. The upper horizontal edge of the cross-bar or plate 2 is provided with a series of flat horizontal flanges 10 of suitable width andseparated from each other more or less, said flanges corresponding in number to the wooden strips Bin the foot walk,'so that one flange 10 may be under each of the three strips B, or 'under each strip if there are more or less than three, in-orderto effectively uphold and carry said strips. The langeslO u have any preferred width so as to make agood resting surface and at one end of each flange the metal is bent over angularly at 11 to form a clamping jaw alongside of strip B, with the extreme end of the bent over part turnedto a right angle so as to engage the upper edge of strip B, as at 11, this end flange having teeth or a sharpened edge or two or more prongs or points to engage or bite into one edge of strip B that rests on the corresponding horizontal seat flange 10. The edge ofthe angular aw part 11 overlaps the. edge of strip B, or it is received into or engaged flush in a small recess, as seen in Figures 1, 2, and 5, so that no projecting part will rise above the surface ofthe running board to catch the feet or endanger the movements of the trainmen. The position of the overlapping flanges 11 in connection/with the edges of each of the three strips B is clearly indicated in Figure 4 where these engaging'jaws 11 appear in the series of devices that hold one side of eachv of strips B.

Next I provide means for clamping the other side yof the strips B opposite to the clamping means just described. Alongside of each of the vertical relatively fixed bars or plates 2 I place anendwise movable adjustable plate orV strip 4 which is bent at thecupper horizontal edge to form aV series of short flanges 8, similar to the flanges 10 and lying similarly under the stripsB of the foot walk adjacent to flanges 10, see Figure 4,.to support Yand form resting surfaces beneath the strips B of the footwalk, their position being adjacent to the flanges 10.v These flanges 8 are separated a short distance from each other, as are the flanges 10, and they all have one of their ends opposite to the ends 11 bent over angularly at 9 and form into jaws with teeth or prongs like the angular ends 11, so that they may function similarly to the ends 11 as jaws in engaging and holding firmly the edges of the strips B which are opposite to the edges engaged by the angular ends 11, each strip B thus being firmly held between a series of metal clasps on the two edges so that it will be immovable and will form a rigid portion of the running board and cannot be easily displaced from this position by any loosening of bolts or spikes or the rottingof the wood as commonly occurs in running boards fastened by the old method. Thus each of the supporting devices for the strips B of the running boa-rd consist of a stationary vertical plate or bar 2 and an adjustable plate or bar 4; and it will be understoody that the metal bars 4 that carry the flanges S'may be moved endwise so that their angular ends 9 which are bent thereonvmay be brought up firmly to clamp against or over the edges of the strips B after the llatter have first been placedagainst the angular clamps 9. The fixed plate 2 in each case has one end embraced by a-bent loop '5-on` one .end of the corresponding movable plate 4. The other ends of each plate 2 has a right angled bent projection 13, while the other end of plate 4 adjacent thereto has a right angled bent projection 12.

The two projections 12 and 13 lie close to eachother with a short intervening space between them, and they are both perforated with openings in line with each other to receive a screw bolt 14 having a head 15 that bears against projection 12 and provided with a nut and washer 16 that bear against the projection 13, whereby the projection 12 may be drawn towards the projection 13 and the strip 4 longitudinally adjusted, clamping the bent ends 9 against the wooden members B and bringing the loop 5 closer up againstk the end of plate 2. It should be noted that the fixed plate 2 has one end embraced by a bent loop 5 in the form of a hook on one end of the movable plate 4. By rotating the nut 16 therefor the clamping means for holding the members B in the metal jaws 9 and 11 can be made tighter or looser so that the running board can be firmly anchored in a horizontal position on top of the carto provide a smooth horizontal track or walk.

Vhile the closely associated plates or bars 2 and 4 will be kept in a horizontal' position with their upper edges horizontal and their flanges 8 and l0 in a horizontal position beneath thevarious strips B of the running boardV by means of the loopedend 5 and the locking screw bolt 14, yet in order more effectively to keep the plate 4 level throughout its entire length it may be slotted at 6, 6, or at a number of different points and bolts-7 with nuts, &c. passed through these slots 6 and through adjacent openings in the plates 2, so that when the nuts are tightened on these bolts the parts 4 will be kept in exact position and at the proper level.

Many changes may be made in the precise arrangement of the elements, their size, form, and effective relation, to adapt them to serve with different kinds of running boards, and I therefore reserve the liberty of changing the combination and construction to suit different cases within the meaning of the claims.

What I claim, is:

1. In mechanism of the class described, the combination with a ruiming board or platform for railway cars, of means foranchoring the same on the car roof, comprising essentially a cross member secured permanently to the roof and having' a series of supporting flanges with clamping ends for engaging the running board, and a second cross member alongside of the first and having a series of flanges with clamping ends that clamp to opposite edge of the running board, and means for drawing the clamping ends tightly together.

2;- Inmechanism of the class described,

ros

the combination of a freight car running board, of a flanged stationary supporting member secured to the car roof, whose flanges are angularly bent to engage the running board at one edge, and a cooperating flanged adjustable member alongside of the stationary member, whose flanges 'are angularly bent to engage the running board at the opposite edge, and means for drawing the engaging ends tightly against the running board.

3. In mechanism of the class described, the combination with a running board or platform, of means for anchoring the same on the, car roof, comprisingessentially a series of top flanged vertical members having bottom flanges secured to the roof, and a` series of cooperating movable flanged members al0ng side of the first named members, the fianges on the members having angular ends to engage the running board, and screw mechanism engaging parallel projections on the adjacent ends of the members of each pair of members to adjust the movable members andV grip the running board between the aws to securely hold said running board.

4. In mechanism of the class described, the combination with a running board or platform for railway cars, of means for anchor'- ing the same on the car roof, consisting in a series of duplicate permanent cross supports, .each having a strip which is fastened se curely to the car roof and provided withfaws that engage the running board, and lalso a cooperating movable parallel strip asso-l ciated with the otherstrip and having jaws likewise that engage the opposite side of the running board, and mechanism for longitudinallyV moving the various movable strips and holding them in their adjusted position so that the running board may be tightly held between the opposing sets of jaws.

5. In mechanism of the class described, the combination with running board or platform for railway cars7 comprising a pluralityl of parallel spaced strips, of means for anchoring the same on the car roof, consisting essentially of a vertical strip secured to the. car roof and having supporting flanges for the running board at one end of each of which is a jaw engaging the edge of one of the strips of the running board, and a second movable strip alongside of the stationary strip and having flanges that support the running board, at the end of each one of which is a jaw engaging the edge of the strip of the running board opposite to the edge of the first named jaw, together with means for adjusting the movable member so that the jaws may tightly clamp the members of the running board.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

JOHN MOMULLEN. 

